Esoteric Drifter

Its been years since Ive logged onto an Massive Multiplayer Online Game from my computer. And there are few gaming franchises that would incite me to do so. Fallout is one of those.

Interplay has opened up their teaser site for Fallout Online, and their forum is already buzzing with suggestions on how Project V13 should be. I should point out, the franchise has been around since the late nineties, and has a devoute following of loyal ‘vault dwellers’ myself included. Its been buzzing since early 2008, so apparently Im not as loyal as I should be.

So why are so many people salivating over a new MMORPG? With World of Warcraft, Warhammer, Everquest2, EVE Online, and oh so many others, are not there enough around? Yes, there are enough around. But when you look at them, they are all essentially the same: You pick a character, select a class, and run around smacking other players on the opposing team.

Lets look at the classic Cookie Cutter MMOG:

• have different looking characters do essentially the same thing
• Divide all players into two teams, the good guys and the ‘other’ good guys
• You can live forever! if you die, don’t worry, you’ll be back… you might have to wait a couple minutes until your at full strength.

Fallout has the ability to break this mold. Its historical game-play is the antithesis of the traditional MMOG. In all of Interplay’s Fallout games death was serious. Death was final, and this added an incredible level of strategy to the game. Eve Online, a space themed MMOG left this mold, and it is a great game! In Eve, if your character died they lost all of their possessions you carried at the moment.

Another way Fallout can take a step away from the pack is its World. The Game takes place in a post apocalyptic environment where only you can decide the path of your character. You can be a Smooth talking political denizen, or a sneaky thief who steals from the rich and gives to the poor. There is no set good or evil for the character, but you do have to deal with the consequences of your actions. A player who killed children wasn’t going to get along well with civilians and merchants, but would have a good leg-in with a gang of miscreants. As a MMOG, Fallout has the ability to back away from ‘team play’ by creating a more realistic world where players are truly free to chose their own destiny instead of a ‘side’

Lastly, Fallout Online can put the skills of each character in the hands of the player. You can develop a character who is an outspoken physician who can heal almost any wound and talk a restless mob into dropping their weapons (but cant fight for a damn), or a giant brute who likes to hit things with hammers (but couldn’t fit into a car, and can barley speak), an excellent sharpshooter who’s face is so deformed almost no one will talk to him, or a skilled auto technician who cant shoot strait, but can throw a wrench or knife better than anyone. The SPECIAL system set up in the Fallout franchise was ideal for the creation of these specialized and unique characters.

I want to point out that I am not, in any way referring to fallout 3. Which was a terrible failure of a game, despite the company ‘buying’ prizes.

So will Interplay be able to make a ground breaking new MMOG experience? I doubt it, for two reasons:

Interplay’s legal battle with Bethesda is causing them to rush into production.

The ‘changes’ particularly in the death system that I have outlined will not be well received by gamers. And I doubt Interplay is the same ‘ballsy’ company that created the game 12 years ago.